In concert – CBSO / Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla: From Mirga With Love

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Marie-Christine Zupancic (flute), Oliver Janes (clarinet), Eugene Tzikindelean (violin), Adam Römer (viola), Onutė Gražinytė (piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

Traditional (arr. Raminta Šerkšnytė) Anksti rytą kėliau
Čiurlionis (ed. Charalampos Efthymiou) Miške (1901) [UK premiere]
Weinberg Clarinet Concerto Op.104 (1970)
Loboda Requiem for Ukraine (2014)
Weinberg 12 Miniatures for Flute (1945, orch. 1983) [UK premiere]
Kakhidze Bruderschaft (1996) [UK premiere]

Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Wednesday 6 December 2023

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse. Picture of Mirga (c) Beki Smith

The sound of a Lithuanian folksong I got up early in the morning, plaintively sung by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and accompanied by her sister Onutė, introduced tonight’s concert where the conductor made a welcome reappearance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

MGT gave a memorable performance (not for all the right reasons) of Mikalojus Čiurlionis’s symphonic poem The Sea during her tenure as music director, and the CBSO sounded equally assured with his earlier such piece In the Forest that opened the programme. Here once again the composer’s over-ambition is evident from a rather episodic construction and the textural overload (odd in music this opulently scored to have had no timpani, as might have brought greater definition to emotional highpoints), though had Čiurlionis heard this in performance the outcome might have been otherwise. What remains is a sequence of enticing paragraphs, framed by ones whose formal and expressive aims seemed impressively as one in pointing towards just what might have been possible were it not for his demise at the age of only 35.

The music of Mieczysław Weinberg has been a preoccupation of MGT for over a decade, and it was good to hear this continue through two pieces in which CBSO principals played to their strengths. Oliver Janes sounded enthused by the Clarinet Concerto, its initial Allegro pivoting between incisiveness and inwardness typical of the composer’s maturity. The Andante brought a plangent interplay of soloist and strings, with the sardonic humour of the ensuing Allegretto building toward a cadenza whose entreaties were curtailed by the peremptory closing gestures.

Commissioned after Russia’s occupation of the Crimea, Igor Loboda’s Requiem for Ukraine has only become timelier this decade since – its heady series of variations within a chaconne-like form offering no mean technical challenges that Eugene Tzikindelean met with panache.

As did Marie-Christine Zupancic the more restrained subtleties of Weinberg’s 12 Miniatures for Flute. Composed with piano accompaniment and arranged for strings almost four decades later, these deft and often characterful vignettes follow a methodical tonal progression, while the opting to render them as three groups of four implied a latent fast-slow-fast format akin to that of a concerto. At no time was there any sense of Weinberg being less idiomatic or more impersonal in pieces which are as meticulously realized as any of his larger compositions.

After this, the paucity of content in Vakhtang Kakhidze’s Bruderschaft (Brotherhood) was only too evident. A ‘sinfonia concertante’ for viola, piano and strings, its easeful opening section had a certain charm of which Adam Römer’s playing was nothing if not persuasive, but the livelier music that followed was lounge-jazz at its most cliched and neither the violist’s input nor an almost choreographed response from Onutė Gražinytė raised it above the commonplace. Both these sections were elaborated to little intrinsic purpose, other than to prolong what was already a lengthy concert such that numerous attendees could be seen departing in those final minutes.

A pity in what was otherwise a rewarding programme as reaffirmed MGT’s continued rapport with her former orchestra. Hopefully there will be more such collaborations in future seasons.

You can read all about the 2023/24 season and book tickets at the CBSO website. Click on the artist names for more information on Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Marie-Christine Zupancic, Oliver Janes, Eugene Tzikindelean, Adam Römer and finally Onutė Gražinytė

Published post no.2,033 – Friday 8 December 2023

On Record: Various Artists – Tru Thoughts 2023 (Tru Thoughts)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Tru Thoughts really are one of the most generous labels around. Not content with cramming their Shapes compilation series full of good things, here they are with a 24-track highlights reel celebrating the year 2023, curated by label head Robert Luis.

What’s the music like?

As always with their compilations, Tru Thoughts draw from a wide variety of musical styles but bring them together in an order that makes perfect sense – as well as ensuring there are liberal sprinkles of exclusive and essential content.

A few of the tracks are revived – among them Moonchild’s acoustic version of Cure, Hot 8 Brass Band’s now legendary cover of Sexual Healing, and a welcome remaster for Lightning Head’s highly enjoyable Me & Me Princess.

Sandunes – who made a strong impression on these pages – is represented by The Surge, along with tracks from new label talent including The Sindecut, Born74 & Onj, Nenor & Eyal Rob, Call Sender, and Running Loving Something.

Energy-wise all bases are covered, from the thrilling drum and bass given out by WheelUP and Abacus to the cool Salamanda remix of Anchorsong’s Windmills, a lovely time out moment. Yet perhaps the one track that best represents the feelings generated by the whole compilation is North Street West – aka Ashley Beedle – remixing the wonderful Grateful by Luman Child.

Does it all work?

It does – and as ever with Tru Thoughts the listener is left marvelling at the musical invention on display, drawn from such refreshingly large cultural and geographical spaces.

Is it recommended?

Yes indeed. Another good year for Tru Thoughts is complete, as the label close in on a quarter of a century tantalising our eardrums.

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,032 – Thursday 7 December 2023

New music – Edmund Finnis and Clare Hammond present Youth

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by Ben Hogwood

Pentatone have announced the release of a new EP from pianist Clare Hammond, presenting piano works by composer Edmund Finnis. The new music has a deeply personal resonance for the pianist.

The EP begins with Youth, a set of brief pieces recalling an image, sensation of place, significant encounter or a moment of vivid perception. Each musical image is conveyed as clearly and directly as possible, written for the piano in a focused, uncluttered, personal way.

The EP closes with Lullaby for Emmeline, commissioned by Hammond and her husband on the occasion of their daughter’s birth. Evocative and enchanting, these works share a kinship with some of the most famous piano cycles inspired by childhood experiences, while their magical and ethereally beautiful nature are also characteristic of Finnis’s iridescent musical approach.

“Ed and I initially discussed working together on a new piece when we were students at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama”, recalls Hammond. “It took us 10 years to find the right opportunity, but was well worth the wait!”

Talking about the music itself, she describes it as “relatively simple but seems immediately to touch the heart. It is beautifully evocative, moving, and stays with you long after hearing it. I gave the premiere at Milton Court in the Barbican, have performed it across the UK (including for a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast), and shall be playing it again at the Harrogate International Music Festival on the 24 March 2024. Youth has become a very important piece for me and I feel honoured to have been involved in its creation.”

For Finnis, meanwhile, the EP is a step in a new direction. “It’s a great joy to be able to share this first release of my music for solo piano. Since I was young, the keys of the piano have always been for me a private space in which to think, invent and dream. Many of the sounds and ideas within this collection of short pieces have been in my mind and under my fingers for a long time. They are like memories. I’m indebted to my friend Clare Hammond for the artistry, grace and lucidity she brings to this personal music.”

You can listen to an excerpt from Youth on the Pentatone website

Published post no.2,031 – Wednesday 6 December 2023

Switched On: Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2024 (Kompakt)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The first Pop Ambient compilation was released in 2001 – since when our need for ambient music is arguably greater than it has ever been, and the annual wander down Pop Ambient lane has become one of the most reassuring fixtures in the electronic music calendar. Arriving near the close of the year, it always coincides with the point where the end of year rush is starting to get too much.

As with previous years, it is a carefully selected blend of Kompakt favourites and rarities, none of them in a rush to get anywhere, and none of them containing any drums or rhythm tracks.

What’s the music like?

Regular listeners will know what to expect here – music suspended in time, with long drawn out notes that slowly shift across the sonic landscape. Many of the productions appear weightless, taking the listener through a dense cloud of ambience that soothes the fevered brow.

Yet while the music is familiar, Kompakt always manage to bring us something new. That means that while the listener is immediately soothed by diving into the ambience of T.Raumschmiere‘s Eterna 2, Mikkel Metal‘s Octarine offers a pattern of distinctive, metallic chimes that draw the listener in. Sono Kollektiv also presents an ambient face on Ever Last Thing but this track has dramatic crescendos within, pulling the ear towards them on headphones.

Joachim Spieth and Głós deliver the sort of weightless gem we have come to know and love from this source, Panta Rhei turning out to be a bottomless wonder, while Blank Gloss deliver some considered but rather beautiful guitar work on Weedless Hook.

Other airy beauties include Morgen Wurde’s Hiernach, with trumpeter Tetsuroh Konishi, and a similarly improvised space where Reich & Wurden make room for Alex Linster and Joel Jaffe on Orbit. Finally Segensklang (Bergfrieden) and Ümit Han (Nirgends) deliver atmospheric moods, the latter with a wandering melodic line.

Does it all work?

It does. None of this will come as a surprise to regulars, but that is a good thing – for Kompakt’s quality threshold is always high.

Is it recommended?

Definitely – with as much enthusiasm as all the others. Pop Ambient needs to remain a permanent fixture in our listening year.

Listen & Buy

On Record: Smoove & Turrell – Red Ellen (Jalapeno Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The seventh album from Smoove & Turrell is named after Ellen Wilkinson, an early Labour politician who played a prominent role in the Jarrow march – an event on which the band draw inspiration as they tackle the state of the world today.

What’s the music like?

This is a really strong album, not afraid to show its vulnerabilities but countering them with a show of strength, all brilliantly handled by a fine band and their excellent vocalist.

“So sorry I started this party before you”, says Echoes, a forthright song addressing the end of a relationship. Empty Bottle Serenade deals with an equally fragile subject, its grief kept close to the surface but expressed positively. Violet Hour looks at the other side, a chunky number with a great hook and a good deal of funk.

It is typical of the impressive resolve shown here, channelled through the power and poise of singer John Turrell. Geno’s Discotheque feels the funk, but Joy is the choice cut on the album, a rousing anthem to come back to again and again. Meanwhile Mary’s Song generates a strong groove, laced with strings, while The Light exudes positivity through its choral highs. The title track itself is thought provoking and beautifully sung, Turrell’s thoughtful lyrics complemented by a tasteful trumpet solo.

Does it all work?

It does – and Red Ellen is notable for the strength of its songwriting, with barely a weak link to be found.

Is it recommended?

It is – another feather in Smoove & Turrell’s generously filled cap.

Listen

Buy

Published post no.2,029 – Monday 4 December 2023